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Liability questions in fatal lion attack?

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    Intern killed at big cat sanctuary

  • Duration 5:36
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-- -- -- back in session on docket today a young intern at a wildlife sanctuary killed.

In a lion attack at a private animal sanctuary in California.

Screen left that is the lion his name was couscous and the lion who attacked screen right is -- -- the 24 year old who was killed.

Now questions over how Diana ended up inside the enclosure.

With the -- Joining -- now overseas call when she's a Fox News legal analyst and David -- who is a defense attorney.

Right now that his family speaking to her father has expressed.

No remorse that this happened but the father says she died doing what you love to do -- take care of these big cats.

Nonetheless Mercedes as you know having been involved in these cases in the past.

The odds are someone is gonna file a lawsuit.

Oh absolutely and she certainly will -- family will because they're gonna -- we -- how is -- that a volunteer even had access to these enclosures.

Lions -- the fourth and these most dangerous animals in the world so why are letting volunteers and in any access where the key failed what type of training -- she -- That's funny because they have a fact sheet on the web site.

And they talk about these big cats in India in there -- -- the fact sheet it says that there cats are retractable.

Then not -- but -- retractable that means that we can read these -- behavior.

We can actually know whether we can -- news -- and then we can work with these cats don't want you advertising this because anybody that works there.

Has some false sense of security with these and.

Well but David the if if her family does ultimately decide to -- the sanctuary.

They're gonna have a problem because the father's already gone on record as saying his daughter knew.

She was not supposed to be going to that cage with the lion to sound like number two listen to her father.

Don't know why in the world should serbians have -- consecutive -- regional issues do.

And what she just wanted to.

Have contact with the alliance what you did up from Bellingham.

I don't know why in the world should be in the cage it is.

That was.

-- only though she told me only the owner.

Was allowed to be in the cage only the -- and tiger's cage.

She said the workers were forbidden from ever going into the.

David.

Yeah I mean that's absolutely right Megan I mean she knew that she established a bond with this -- and Megan California laws clear strict liability for anyone who owns or -- -- wild animals for injuries or deaths they caused.

But there's a big exception.

And that exception is the assumption of the risk of injury which it appears is exactly what she did instead of being a lion in a separate cage.

Backing out closing the cage and allowing wind becoming an eat -- frankly just wedge in there in this sort of you know bonding with nature thing Megan YouTube is full these videos lions tigers bears being -- with human beings.

And I think that's how I love -- get the pressure don't they know that we don't know yet for sure we're gonna we don't know -- -- opposite side of the -- a feminist.

The -- the -- testimonial that his daughter told him she knew she wasn't supposed to be -- that -- -- that only the owner was allowed to go in the -- in the guidelines of the sanctuary which say.

Caregivers should never be inside with a big cats.

I mean does that not put an end any potential lawsuit.

Well it's certainly the -- income voters are going to -- sit on his grief stricken I was so upset I just lost my daughter in the most horrific way I wasn't thinking clearly when I spoke he's not under oath that he can certainly try to defeat it.

He'll Paula be confronted with that at some formal proceeding whether it's in the fourth quarter in court but somehow we can get around -- if he really does want to.

-- doesn't fit now than -- isn't just the thing is though David that.

As a woman who runs -- the jungle -- foundation said she had been in the lion's cage before herself she was accompanied by a park worker.

I don't know if that was the owner but if they can establish that there was a precedent for despite the guidelines and despite the admission of the owner for this happening.

Then that -- that could potentially expose them.

I mean that could make and there could be a waiver establish if they if they had one written policy and then practice something else.

I mean I agree completely and if there were if there were possibly our requirement that there are more supervisors there instead of two.

Currently on inch training interns there accolades.

Forty year old millionaire and this woman is -- died -- was this girl and another to a woman and her Rais.

There was no -- was closed and so they get they were placed at Mercedes.

It was another case a couple years ago.

2007 or so it out of the San Francisco Zoo room where -- three boys were there one was killed two others sued that wanted that wound up settling did.

But is there any sort of a crackdown now on these facilities who harbored these animals which are inherently dangerous they're at the top of the food chain this predictable behavior.

I mean is there any responsibility they have separate and apart from their warnings to every.

Great point make him and what are firm actually represented the San Francisco Zoo -- -- them like partners.

Represented Brazil and frankly it really is that we have to protect them not only the -- -- on -- for the patrons that comes so there is a crackdown.

What type of training to give any this volunteers that you that in this particular case the volunteers.

But access how large and when you have these remote sits around these being -- when these big cats are.

Well how deep -- the water how hire these fences all of these issues you know -- Bid for the San Francisco kids -- didn't come to light because how many tiger mauling you actually have now not many.

From then you do it because you don't protect the workers and you need to protect this facility this cat did his ability -- did exactly.

Here's this resilient passed numerous state and they had no actually had -- history -- -- time something went wrong nothing on this day and we don't know I Ron thank you both so much we'll get back.

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